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Publications

2018

Optical fiber sensor Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on TiO<inf>2</inf> coated long period fiber grating

Authors
Vasconcelos H.; De Almeida J.M.M.M.; Jorge P.A.S.; Coelho L.;

Publication
Optics InfoBase Conference Papers

Abstract
The wavelength sensitivity and spectral resolution of Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometers based on uncoated and TiO2 coated LPFGs is presented and compared with TiO2 coated single LPFGs optical fiber sensors.

2018

Evolutionary based tuning approach of PI?Dµ fractional-order speed controller for multirotor UAV

Authors
Giernacki, W; Coelho, JP;

Publication
13th APCA International Conference on Control and Soft Computing, CONTROLO 2018 - Proceedings

Abstract
The present paper addresses the use of evolutionary based algorithms for off-line fractional-order controller tuning. In particular, a linearized model of a motor-rotor propulsion device was assumed whose representativeness is supported by laboratorial measurements. Initially, the controller was calibrated, using the devised linear model, by a procedure that uses a cost function defined as the linear combination between the sum of the squared error and the sum of the absolute error. In this work, it was shown that this process can be improved by using an evolutionary based algorithm in order to find the best controller parameters. This strategy allows a more automatic tuning procedure isolating it from the user intervention. Moreover, the results achieved by this process, lead to an improved rotational speed regulation. © 2018 IEEE.

2018

Synthetizing representative periods for chronological hourly electricity generation expansion models

Authors
Domenech, S; Campos, FA; Villar, J;

Publication
2018 15TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EUROPEAN ENERGY MARKET (EEM)

Abstract
Capacity generation expansion problems have traditionally been represented with low time resolution models due to their high computational cost, very often using blocks of hours with similar demand. However, the current transformation of the power system with the new generation and consumption technologies, the flexibility and reserve requirements, and the expected new behavioral consumption patterns, requires more complex and detailed models with higher time resolution to provide accurate investment decisions and allow for closer analyses. In particular, these challenges require chronological hourly models with constraints linking all the years of the planning horizon, compromising in most cases the computational feasibility. This paper presents a new approach to synthetize a reduced representative time period for capacity expansion problems, for being used in detailed chronological hourly models, while keeping them computationally feasible. The representative period is synthetized by selecting, with a genetic algorithm, those real days that minimizes the distance between the duration curves of a set of relevant variables (such as demand, renewable generation, ramps, etc.) computed for the original and for the representative periods. Results show that investments decisions with the representative period are very similar to those obtained with the full planning horizon, while computational times are strongly reduced.

2018

Why does the orientation change mess up my Android application? From GUI failures to code faults

Authors
Amalfitano, D; Riccio, V; Paiva, ACR; Fasolino, AR;

Publication
SOFTWARE TESTING VERIFICATION & RELIABILITY

Abstract
This paper investigates the failures exposed in mobile apps by the mobile-specific event of changing the screen orientation. We focus on GUI failures resulting in unexpected GUI states that should be avoided to improve the apps quality and to ensure better user experience. We propose a classification framework that distinguishes 3 main classes of GUI failures due to orientation changes and exploit it in 2 studies that investigate the impact of such failures in Android apps. The studies involved both open-source and apps from Google Play that were specifically tested exposing them to orientation change events. The results showed that more than 88% of these apps were affected by GUI failures, some classes of GUI failures were more common than others, and some GUI objects were more frequently involved. The app source code analysis allowed us to identify 6 classes of common faults causing specific GUI failures.

2018

Stability of autonomous power systems with reversible hydro power plants A study case for large scale renewables integration

Authors
Beires, P; Vasconcelos, MH; Moreira, CL; Pecs Lopes, JAP;

Publication
ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS RESEARCH

Abstract
This paper addresses the dynamic stability analysis of an islanded power system regarding the installation of a reversible hydro power plant for increasing renewable energy integration. Being a high-head facility, the hydro power plant consists of separated pumps and turbines (Pelton type). In order to properly support the identification of hydro pumps connection requirements and the technology to be used, different options were taken into consideration, namely: fixed speed pumps coupled to induction machines directly connected to the grid and adjustable speed pumps supplied by a drive system. Extensive numerical simulations of the power system's dynamic behaviour response allowed the evaluation of the hydro power plant's role for the purpose of grid stability conditions. These simulations showed that the high head hydro power installation provides a marginal contribution to system frequency regulation when explored in turbine operation mode, leading to a reversible power station with a single penstock. Moreover, due to the significant additional system load introduced by the hydro pumping units, the obtained results clearly indicate that supplementary regulation flexibility is required to attend the need of assuring the stable operation of the system in case of critical disturbances such as grid faults. The study case demonstrates that, although the foreseen operation of a reversible hydro power plant creates new security challenges to overcome in an autonomous power system, robust technical solutions can be identified without increasing, from the local system operator's perspective, the operation complexity of the power system.

2018

Linking fields with GMA: Sustainability, companies, people and Operational Research

Authors
Teles, MD; de Sousa, JF;

Publication
TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Abstract
This article is about making decisions concerning the management of sustainability, decisions that may influence the use or protection of natural resources or address difficult societal choices. Managers have more and more to tackle a diversity of problems in a rigorous and transparent way. One of the distinctive features of these decisions is that managers must give attention to both the values of people affected and factual information concerning the potential consequences of actions. This imposes the adoption of new methods for structuring spaces, strategy alternatives, and organizational planning. The support from operational research analysts becomes increasingly important, as we are dealing with people mostly without strong quantitative or model-building backgrounds. With the presence of different perspectives and mental models, behavior elements are at the core of the problem and unintentional biases in model use may occur. Our intention is to help promote the transference of knowledge to and within companies so that they may assure resilience. We found in general morphological analysis a great help for that. We want to make available a meta-model based on Operational Research for fields involving public resources and multiple interests to aid current and future managers of companies. We conclude the article with two case studies to illustrate our approach.

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